Abstract: Engineering in United States contexts has historically been the domain of Caucasian/white males. Programmatic efforts address the disparity in engineering by forming inclusive learning communities that support gender and racial diversity. FemProf is a comprehensive engineering education program that engages female undergraduates at two Hispanic-serving institutions in the United States. Program activities include multisite research experiences, professional development and community building. Workshops address cultural, gender and workplace biases the women may find in the engineering professions, as well as training regarding graduate school application, research presentation and publication. FemProf‘s explicit focus is preparing undergraduate women for success in graduate school and for future participation in the professoriate. For this research project, we studied FemProf with an eye toward identity development. A grounded, thematic approach to qualitative data analysis uncovered three themes evident in the process of Fem Prof undergraduate participant learning: ―program support for professoriate trajectories;‖ ―participant identification with engineering pathways;‖ and a third theme not anticipated: ―participants advocate for gender equity in engineering.‖ Based on our qualitative analysis, we argue FemProf supports inclusion of women into the engineering community, and makes explicit the pathway to the professoriate.

Abstract: Hispanics have the highest growth rates among all groups in the U.S., yet they remain considerably underrepresented in computing careers and in the numbers who obtain advanced degrees. Hispanics constituted about 7% of undergraduate computer science and computer engineering graduates and 1% of doctoral graduates in 2007–2008. The small number of Hispanic faculty, combined with the lack of Hispanic role models and mentors, perpetuates a troublesome cycle of underrepresentation in STEM fields. In 2004, seven Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) formed the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) to consolidate their strengths, resources, and concerns with the aim of increasing the number of Hispanics who pursue and complete baccalaureate and advanced degrees in computing areas. To address barriers that hinder students from advancing, CAHSI defined a number of initiatives, based on programs that produced promising results at one or more institutions. These included the following: a CS-0 course that focuses on adoption of a three-unit pre-CS course that uses graphics and animation to engage and prepare students who have no prior experience in computing; a peer mentoring strategy that provides an active, collaborative learning experience for students while creating leadership roles for undergraduates; an undergraduate and graduate student research model that emphasizes the deliberate and intentional development of technical, team, and professional skills and knowledge required for research and cooperative work; and a mentoring framework for engaging undergraduates in experiences and activities that prepare them for graduate studies and onto the professoriate. CAHSI plays a critical role in evaluating, documenting, and disseminating effective practices that achieve its mission. This paper provides an overview of CAHSI initiatives and describes how each addresses causes of underrepresentation of Hispanics in computing. In addition, it describes the evaluation and assessment of the initiatives and presents the results that support CAHSI’s claim of their effectiveness.

Abstract: Various cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers contribute to the underrepresentation of Hispanics in computer science education and the technical workforce. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) is a partnership of ten institutions with the objective of recruiting, retaining, and advancing Hispanics in computing fields. CAHSI provides comprehensive support to students within and beyond the classroom to redress the barriers faced by Hispanics in technical fields. This mixed-methods study incorporates institutional records analysis, surveys, and interviews to assess the impact of CAHSI’s systematic approach on students’ academic achievement and educational and career aspirations. CAHSI’s efforts to support undergraduates at critical transition points have increased Hispanic students’ graduation rates in computing at a time of national decline in computing baccalaureates, and positively influenced students’ aspirations to pursue graduate education.

Abstract: In order to thrive and even survive in the worldwide market-place of ideas and innovation, the U.S. must aggressively meet the challenge of increasing the number of students who complete degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is critical for the economic and social health of the U.S. that a globally competitive STEM work force is maintained and the engagement of diverse individuals who can contribute to innovations and advancements in STEM areas is expanded. Although there has been an upturn in the past two years, computing fields have certainly experienced a significant decrease in the number of majors and graduates. Engaging large segments of society that have traditionally not been involved—students from underrepresented groups—is critical in addressing work force needs and innovation, especially in computing. One group in particular that is prime for greater inclusion in computing is Hispanics. Hispanics have the fastest growth rate among all groups in the U.S. (one in four newborns is Hispanic according to the Pew Foundation5), yet this group re-mains significantly underrepresented in STEM careers and in the number of graduates who obtain advanced degrees.

Abstract: The Affinity Research Group (ARG) is a model of undergraduate research that extends the undergraduate research experience to a broad range of students by providing opportunities to learn and integrate the knowledge and skills that are required for research with those required for cooperative work. ARG creates an integrated research environment in which a collective of diverse students and faculty contribute to the research effort. The framework and pedagogy enable faculty to create and sustain a cooperative environment that explicitly develops skills needed for success in research, academe, and the workforce. This paper describes a qualitative design used to investigate ARG. The objectives of the effort were to gather alumni descriptions and to gauge the long-term effects of their experiences in the research group. The study shows that former ARG members readily describe specific aspects of the ARG model, such as paper and presentation critiques, through which they developed technical and social skills that they continue to use in the workplace and that they believe have contributed significantly to their professional mobility and success. To ground the findings, the paper relates components of the ARG model to sociocultural learning theory.

Abstract: In this article, we introduce a model for undergraduate research, the Affinity Research Group (ARG)—a comprehensive model for creating and maintaining dynamic, productive, and inclusive research groups. An affinity research group is, first and foremost, a team effort in which faculty mentors and students enjoy an environment designed expressly to let each member flourish. Group members have or are developing an affinity for the particular research topic, hence the name of the model. Group members share, to greater or lesser extents, common research goals, as well as goals for academic and professional development. Affinity research groups are comprised of students and faculty mentors actively engaged in discovering and sharing ideas in a cooperative environment. The ARG model embodies a set of fundamental principles and effective practices for involving undergraduates in research groups. Application of the model entails the deliberate design of research groups whose members share a common purpose— an affinity—and it emphasizes the conscious development of students’ disciplinary knowledge, research abilities, and team skills, as well as their sense of professional identity.